How to Become a Cryptographer: A Complete Career Guide
Have you ever wondered how private information and communications are protected from prying eyes? Cryptography is used to do this. The method of writing (or cracking) encryption code to keep data secret is known as cryptography. Individuals who write and break these cyphers are known as cryptographers.
Cryptographers have made the internet a safer place to do things like shop online and send private emails. Consider what it would be like if you knew your credit card numbers were being sent in plain text around the internet for everyone to see every time you shopped online. It’s likely to make you rethink your purchase. Fortunately for us all, as well as the online shopping industry, cryptographers have devised a range of methods to encrypt credit card numbers as they move across the internet.
It is often appropriate for the government to decrypt data that has been encrypted in the interest of public safety. To do so, government agencies such as the FBI, NSA, and CIA hire cryptographers who spend countless hours decrypting and dissecting the cyphers and algorithms used to encrypt data.
Those interested in pursuing a career as a cryptographer should possess exceptional mathematical and analytical abilities. Most cryptographers have a graduate degree, but a bachelor’s degree might be sufficient for an entry-level role in some cases.
Five steps to becoming a cryptographer or cryptologist
1. Concentrate on math: Cryptography is based on mathematics. Without math, cyphers and encryption algorithms will not work. As a result, anyone interested in pursuing a career in cryptography must have exceptional math skills. Anyone interested in becoming a cryptographer should work on their math skills and even take refresher lessons.
2. Earn a bachelor’s degree: Employers would typically need a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, computer science, or a similar field to work as a cryptologist. Most cryptographers would need to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree to be effective in the profession, but obtaining a bachelor’s degree is the first step.
3. Internship: While a bachelor’s degree might be sufficient for a cryptography work, most companies would need cryptographers to have a graduate degree. This makes gaining experience in the field challenging. Another choice is to look for cryptographer internships (both paid and unpaid).
Internships will not only provide you with valuable experience for your resume, but they will also serve as a perfect way to further your education. Working with seasoned cryptographers will show you strategies that you won’t learn in the classroom. Getting a paid internship has the added benefit of supplying you with money to pay for your education.
If you can’t find a position or internship in cryptography with your bachelor’s degree, look for similar internships and careers in the fields of mathematics or cybersecurity.
4. Get your master’s degree: As previously mentioned, most companies would expect cryptographers to have a graduate degree. After completing your bachelor’s degree, you have the option of taking a break to pursue an internship or entry-level work in cryptography, or you can immediately enrol in a master’s programme in computer science or mathematics.
5. Begin your search: Cryptographers are required in a variety of fields. To secure their financial records, financial institutions such as credit card companies and banks employ cryptographers. The FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA) also employ cryptographers to help with national security. The first step in the job search is to figure out what field you want to work in, after which you can begin applying.
What is the role of a cryptographer?
Although cryptography may appear to be a modern profession exclusive to the digital era, this is not the case. Computer algorithms and cyphers are used by modern cryptographers, but math has been used to protect communication throughout history.
Cryptographers build cyphers, which are then used to encrypt data, using mathematics and computer science. Cryptographers are working to develop new protection technologies as old ones become outdated. Cryptographers are required to crack the cyphers used on the messages and read them while they are encrypted.
Cryptographers encrypt communications and confidential data in a variety of sectors, including financial institutions and government agencies.
Those interested in cryptography should strive to learn the following skills:
- Advanced algebra
- Algorithms
- Programming languages such as C, C++, Python, and Java
- Symmetric cryptography
- Asymmetric cryptography
- Computer networking
- Cybersecurity
What do cryptographers do?
A cryptographer’s day-to-day duties can differ depending on the type of entity for which they operate. Cryptographers working for a government agency such as the National Security Agency, for example, may spend their day decrypting a confidential document required for national security. Assume a terrorist has been apprehended and his laptop contains a large number of documents. These documents, according to intelligence officials, may lead to the arrest of other alleged terrorists; however, the documents have been encrypted. A cryptographer is required in this situation. The NSA’s cryptographer will work to decrypt the encryption system used on these documents so that they can be further examined.
Cryptographers in both the public and private sectors can find themselves using mathematics to come up with new and creative ways to encrypt data. While several algorithms exist to encrypt data, attackers are constantly devising new ways to gain access to secure data. This means that cryptographers would have to work much harder to keep it secure. Cryptographers are actively developing new ways to encrypt data as well as new cypher cracking techniques. Cryptography resembles sophisticated puzzle solving in several respects.
General cryptographer job description
The industry and company for which you work as a cryptographer will determine the job description for you. The following are some of the duties that a cryptographer, cryptanalyst, or cryptologist may have.
- To solve complex problems, apply mathematical theories.
- Create new data encryption methods.
- Decryption of an encrypted document
- To analyse data, create statistical or mathematical models.
- Apply numeric analysis methods to data.
- Create data-driven reports
- To advance mathematical science, find new relationships between established mathematical concepts.
Outlook for cryptographer
Overall employment is expected to rise 30% by 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This indicates that now is an excellent time to pursue a career in cryptography. As previously said, cryptography has been used throughout history, and it does not appear that cryptography employment will be phased out anytime soon.
Cryptographer salary
Choosing a career as a cryptographer can be costly due to the fact that most positions in the field require a graduate degree. Fortunately, cryptography jobs are usually well-paying, and the salary will help defray some of the costs of schooling. The national average cryptographer wage, according to ZipRecruiter, is $149,040 per year. Entry-level cryptographers can still earn six figures on ZipRecruiter, with salaries starting at about $109,500. Around 3% of cryptography workers pay between $189,500 and $197,500 on the higher end. According to other websites, such as SimplyHired.com, the average cryptographer salary is $77,000 a year, with the top 10% earning $166,000 per year and the bottom 10% earning about $51,000 per year. The average salary, according to Payscale.com, is $98,000. As you can see from these figures, although it’s difficult to estimate exact salaries, a career in cryptography is likely to be lucrative.
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